This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It's amazing how wrong pundits can be, and in such a short time!
Before the election, conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks argued that Gov. Mitt Romney should be elected president because things would get done ("The upside of opportunism," Opinion, Oct. 31).
With a President Romney, Democrats would compromise to pass bills, including deals on the budget and immigration, Brooks reasoned, but Republicans would stonewall and filibuster any proposal from President Barack Obama. "The bottom line is this: If Obama wins, we'll probably get small-bore stasis; if Romney wins, we're more likely to get bipartisan reform."
Now, just two weeks after the re-election of Obama, see how malleable those supposedly intransigent Republicans are? They're willing to cut a deal on the budget, and talk not only about raising revenues but tax rates. And they're talking about a comprehensive immigration bill, something they gummed up for the past three presidential terms.
Republican-led states are now scrambling to create health insurance exchanges to conform with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
My oh my, what a difference an election makes! It's morning again in America.
Sean Evans
Salt Lake City